Module SPAN3221: EPIC AND CHRONICLE: THE MAKING OF HISTORY IN EARLY MEDIEVAL SPAIN

Department: Modern Language and Cultures (Spanish)

SPAN3221: EPIC AND CHRONICLE: THE MAKING OF HISTORY IN EARLY MEDIEVAL SPAIN

Prerequisites

• Spanish Language 2A (SPAN2011) OR Spanish Language 2B (SPAN2111) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Corequisites

• Modern European Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Spanish Language 4 (SPAN3011) or Spanish Language 4 following Year Abroad (SPAN3121). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• The module aims to provide students with a better understanding of the culture and history of Early Modern Spain, through the in-depth study of two important, interrelated textual genres: historiography and epic poetry.
• It also aims to provide students with the critical tools that will allow them to analyse narrative texts, both fictional and historical, as well as to reflect on the ideological nature of any representation of the past. It is intended that this knowledge will complement and be applicable to texts from other literary periods that are also covered in the curriculum.
• A further aim of the module is to enhance students’ understanding of the history and evolution of the Spanish language by familiarising them with texts written in Old Castilian, as well as contributing to the development of their own command of the modern language by means of lectures delivered in Spanish and one of the pieces of summative assessment being written in Spanish.

Content

• The course is designed to explore two key areas of cultural production in medieval Iberia: historiography and epic poetry. Through the study of key-texts in these two genres, students will witness the creation of a model of history which, to a great extent, is still relevant in current Spanish society. By both identifying the literary features of historical texts and looking at epic poetry as a form of historical representation, the module aims to help students develop a critical approach to narratives, and to make them aware of the ideological content implicit in any representation of the past, whether it be literary or historiographical.
• The first term will focus on the figure of King Alfonso X ("the Learned") of Castile, whose activity as patron of knowledge and the arts in the last third of the thirteenth century was paramount for the creation of a vernacular prose tradition able to embrace historical, legal, philosophical and scientific contents. A selection of Alfonso's historical and - to a lesser extent - legal works will be studied in depth (Estoria de Espana, General Estoria and Siete Partidas). Additionally, attention will be paid to post-Alphonsine historiography as well as to the vision of the king held by its immediate successor through the study of fragments from Juan Manuel's Libro de la caza, Chronica abreviada and Libro de las razones, and an anonymous early fourteenth-century chronicle, Historia hasta 1288 dialogada.
• The second term will be dedicated to the study of the creation of perhaps the most popular historical myth of Medieval - and Modern - Spain: the literary and historical figure of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar 'El Cid'. The two epic poems that narrate the hero's exploits will be studied: Cantar de Mio Cid, a masterpiece of Spanish literature, and Mocedades de Rodrigo, a curious example of late epic. We will also study a fragment of the Alphonsine chronicle containing a prose version of a lost Spanish epic poem, Cantar de Sancho II y cerco de Zamora.

Learning Outcomes

• Acquire knowledge on some of the main works and authors in the Spanish literary canon.
• Enhance knowledge of the origins and evolution of the Spanish language.

• Apply a critical approach to historical and literary narratives, including those that can be found in modern and contemporary history books and the media.
• Improved comprehension and writing skills in Spanish

• Analyse narrative texts and understand the way narrative ideologically shapes the historian's accounts of the past.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• This module will be studied by means of weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars.
• Lectures will be delivered in Spanish (contributing to the development of comprehension skills in the target language) and seminars in English (to encourage active, effective participation by students). Assignment 1 (transcription and commentary) is to be written in Spanish, and Assignments 2 and 3 (essays) in English.
• Students are required to attend all lectures and seminars and are expected to prepare themselves for classes and participate actively in discussions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University